Disintegrated alumina



varch 5, 192Q. c. voN G'IRSEYWYALD. Er AL 1,704,599

DISINTEGRATED ALUMINA Filed Hay 28, 1927 integrator.

Patented Mar. 5, 1929.

' UNITs'sTATEs A1,704,599 ra'rmrr lorries. y

. ICONWAY von GIRsnwALD, on FRANxroRT-oN-trnnivrnm, Ann frans sinenus5 or HORREM, NEAR COLOGNE, AND lMARTIN ,MARsoHNnn on FnANKFoRT-oN- THE-- MAIN, GERMANY, ASSIGNORS T0 METALLGESELLSCHAFT AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT, OF FRANKFORT-ON-THE-MAIN, GERMANY, A CORPORATION OF GERMANY.

DIsINTEeRATED ALUMiNA.

Application filed May 2,8, 1927, Serial No. 195,123, and in Germany May 8, 1926.

This invention relates to a 'method for making disintegrated alumina from a melt of alumina. The invention also refers to a device for the execution of the new method and to the special use of the products obtained by the method.

It is a known fact, that alumina obtained from amelt is an extremely hard material, which only with difficulty can be disintegrated to such a degree of fineness, as is necessary when using it as raw material for making aluminum by electrolysis.

The present invention is based on the discovery that molten alumina shrinks considerably and that very small crystals are produced, when the solidiication is a very quick one.- It was found, that by suitably conducting the quenching process of a melt of alumina material may be obtained, in which the alumina, is present in crystals of a size suited for electrolysis and'that these crystals are only fritted together at their edges or corners. The material may therefore easily be disintegrated in an edge mill' or similar simple dis- I Besides this important simplification of the disintegration another surprising improvement is obtained by the invention.

The fine crystalline alumina obtained by the quick quenching is more easily electrolyzed than an alumina, which is not quenched or 1s only slowly quenched.

The granulating by quenching of alumina is known; the usual quenching'methods such as the casting of fused alumina into water or spraying fused alumina with water are however not sufficient to obtain the same results as are obtained when working according to the method of the present invention. rIhese methods further have the disadvantage, that at the high temperature of the fused alumina (about 2000O C.) local superheating of the water and production of oxyhydrogen gas occur, so that explosions may take place.

According to our invention the fused alumina is first brought into a state of fine distribution and im this state subjected to a quick quenching. AThus for example the stream of fused alumina flowing out from the furnace mav be atomized and the fine drops obtained are` because of their small diameter and their relatively great surface already strongly7 cooled, when passing them through cooled and preferably stirred air. It is obvious, that the best results are obtained, when the velocity with which the atomized alumina passes through the cooling medium, such as air orv other gases or vapors or mixtures of gases and vapors, is as great as possible and the passage space is a long one.

The air or gas cooling may be followed by a further cooling for example with water. The fine f drops of alumina are then first thrown through the air and caught in cold water, which preferably is in motion, for example, iowing. The drops are then cooled so much by the air, that superheating and decomposition of the water does not take place.

The atomizing of the fused alumina may be done in different ways. One may for example let the stream of fused alumina. drop upon4 suitably shaped supports effecting a fine distribution of the fused mass. Another way is to beat the stream of fused alumina by quickly rotating shovel :wheels or to let it drop upon quickly rotating shovel wheels, thereby distributing it. Such atomizers may bearranged above the cooling liquidk or close below "the level of the cooling liquid, into which the atomized material is-to drop. In the latter case the atomizer is protected by cooling and the cooling liquid at the same time thoroughly stirred and prevented from superheating. Vh'en using rotating atomizing disks one may also preferably work in such a manner th at cool air or other gases or vapors are passing alongI the border of the atomizing disk. The atomizing of the liquid alumina may also be done by compressed air, steam or other compressed gases, gas mixtures or gas-vapor mixtures blown in a suitable manner against or into the stream of liquid alumina.. It is of advantage to bring the atomized liquid alumina then for cooling purposes into contact with finely distributed water or vapors for example with a shower of water-and to collect it later in a container filled with water.

The alum na disintegrated according to the invention by quick quenching is as a rule obtained in the form ofsmall hollow balls, in which the crystals are stuck togetherin such a manner. that the further disintegration by mechanical means can be easily carried out.

In many cases `the hollowballs of alumina.l

may even be shattered by pressing them between the fingers.

The Idisintegrated products have proved tov metal, thereby producing an increase of teinperature, which tends to the production of carbide and further increase ofthe intermediate resistance. The bath at the saine time becomes poor in' alumina, whereby the socalledanode effect is produced.

e To avoid these disadvantages it has been recommended to use very finely ground crystalline alumina or to admix calcincd alumina. The line grinding is very expensive and leads to losses by dusting. The admixture of calcined alumina prevents the above described `disadvantages only in part. The disadvantages do not occur when alumina is used, which is disintegrated according to our in vention by quick quenching. A Itis less trou 'blesome to Work with an alumina prepared by Cil the new method in the form of grains of for .example 3 mm. size, than to work with crys tallvine alumina, which is not quenched and has grains of a size of 0.2 mm. and even less.

The annexed drawing shows `schematically an example of a device adapted for the executionof the new method; wherein Fig. l is a vertical section of the device, and Fig. 2 is a4 detail plan view of the nozzle portion.

The stream a of fused alumina guided by a suitable spout is caught by air leaving the nozzle b and carried finely distributed into the cooler c. Here the distributed material is brought into contact with a water shower from the sprinkler d and cooled by extraction of that he at,.which is necessary for evaporatingY the water. T he'air used for the atomization at the same time serves for carrying away g the steam produced.

The material pre-cooled in this manner drops into the water cooled or water containing vessel e. For reasons of safety it has been moesen `found preferable to arrange the different devices deseribed in such a manner, forexample in form of a triangle,.that the stream of alumina may not drop unatomizedy into the watervcontainer. The stream of liquid alu-4 mina is therefor for exampleL blown away vfrom the spout. Furthermore the water leavvice b should stop to'work for any reason and if at the same time the container e doesnot contain enough water, the hot liquid alumina would drop ,into the container e and super-` lieating of the Water and explosion would ocour. On the other hand sprinkling the atomized alumina from below with water has the disadvantage, that the developed steam moving upwards comes into contact with the hot stream of liquid alumina and tends to the production of explosive oxyhydrogen gas.

In orde-r to prevent the contact of steam de-l veloped in the chamber 0 with unatomized hot alumina it is of advantage to draw the vapors out by a chimney or the like. This chimney is preferably arranged in the upper part of the chamber c opposite to the entrance of 4the atomized alumina.

'It has also proved to b'e of advantage to arrange beside the spout, protecting Walls f preventing a solidiication of the liquid alu- 'mina beforeit is caught and atomized by the air stream coming from b.

The cooling chamber c mayy be made movable in order to prevent a blocking up of the room in front of the electric furnace or other source of liquid alumina.

We claim: l. As a-new product electrolysis comprising particles of small size. l

2. As a new product alumina electrolysis comprising discrete particles about 3 mm. in size.

vIn testimony Whereof'we affix tures.

,CONWAY` voN GIRSEWALD.

DR. HANS SIEGENS. DR. MARTIN MARSCHNER.

alumina for use in discrete crystalline crystallineA for use in -our signa- 

